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I am not willing to patronize local retailers if their prices are higher than those at large chains. I don't commingle my purchasing with my philanthropy. Unless a store compensates for their higher price by providing extras that I need (service, support, etc.), they don't get my business.

General Motors (GM) should have discontinued production of its Pontiac brand. Now GM should dump all remaining brands so taxpayers can tally up their losses and move on. Instead, they'll let GM die a slow and costly death so as not to embarrass the politicians and unions.

Insider trading should not be legalized. Any purported benefits would be dramatically offset by the obvious damage caused by this loony proposal. And imagine the spectacle of Martha Stewart suing for wrongful prosecution.

Unemployment insurance should be expanded to cover part-time workers. But only for "permanent" part-time, not "temporary" part-time workers. And all employers will first need to classify their part-time workers as either permanent or temporary.

Deflation represents a greater threat to U.S. economic recovery than inflation. Currently, there's no end in sight to the deflationary forces in the economy. Any uptick in GDP will be short-lived. Helicopter Ben's worried...and he should be!

Companies should not receive tax breaks for offering telecommuting-only employment. Just dump all national "defense" expenditures for the Middle East on the backs of motorists, in the form of a higher gas tax. Then telecommuting'll occur where needed AND we'll cut the nat'l. debt.

I prefer to live in a rural area. But I really miss the smog, traffic, noise, graffiti, garbage, rats & hanging out with the friendly panhandlers, street hawkers, sex offenders, homeless folks, prostitutes and Jehovah's Witnesses.

I prefer wine to beer and liquor. I have two (full) wine refrigerators so I guess that tells the story...Rombauer Chard and most any red. Still, I enjoy a brewskie on a hot day and JB-rocks before dinner with my best (only) friend.

U.S. federal deficits do affect long-term interest rates. Higher deficits beget a weaker dollar which begets increased inflation which begets lenders demanding a higher return on long-term loans, i.e., higher interest rates. Pretty simple, really.

I do not smoke cigarettes. Smoked for eight years; quite 38 years ago, cold-turkey. Smokes were a quarter a pack back then. Who knew cancer could be so cheap!

Organic farmers should not receive additional federal subsidies. Jeez, is PETA trying to save the INSECTS now??? Organic farmers are already making a bundle off hyper-phobic health nuts & paranoids who think every chemical poses a DDT-type environmental threat.

Credit cards are my preferred method of payment. Tracks expenses, air miles, safer & more convenient to carry than cash, 30-day float, AmEx services (concierge, travel, product warranty extensions), refunds for vendor defaults & dispute resolution.

General Motors (GM) will not become a successful company again. The more important question is, "How many taxpayer dollars will be poured into this loser before Obama finally musters the courage to call it a mistake and takes GM off life-support?"

Ben Bernanke should be reappointed as Federal Reserve Chairman in 2010. Despite his role in the RE bubble (HOEPA abdication), "Helicopter Ben" at least 'gets' that a deflationary spiral is the principle threat. Absent that, we're destined to emulate Japan's "lost decade".

I object to receiving customer service from offshore call centers. I'd have no problem with offshore call centers if the reps were competent and possessed English fluency sufficient to both understand callers and communicate information. Haven't found one yet...

Lehman Brothers should not have been bailed out by the federal government. The bail-outs will be re-paid with a decade-long depression. We traded a sharp, painful credit crisis mostly harming those responsible for an extended, painful recovery harming everyone.

Premium gasoline is not worth the extra cost if your car doesn't require it. Many consumers respond to urban legends and wives' tales rather than reading their owners' manuals. If a car doesn't REQUIRE it, premium gas is clearly a waste of money. But since thrift is "in" now ...

The federal government is most responsible for the current financial crisis. '99: Repealed Glass-Steagall, '03: OTS/OCC prevented tighter mortgage credit terms, '04: SEC tripled leverage limits on 5 investment banks & Fed (HOEPA) failed to to block predatory lending. Bingo!

Obama's proposal for creating jobs through infrastructure projects will not create jobs fast enough to shorten the recession. Not only that but when these jobs DO come online, the recovery will have already started & all that stimulus spending will send inflation through the roof!

Supply and demand in the labor market should determine the pay rate for a given job. This issue is a litmus test for economic illiteracy. If you chose anything other than supply and demand, grab your dunce cap and go sit in the corner.

The home mortgage interest deduction should not be eliminated. The real estate market's in shambles. It's put us in the worst recession since the Great Depression. Do you REALLY want to make it WORSE, just to close a tax loophole on those wicked rich folks?

An executive of a company should be allowed to serve as both chairman and CEO. Although I believe that separate incumbents provide better governance, I see no reason for a mandate. Shareholders should (and do) have a right to decide which is best for their company.

Housing rentals offer tourists the best opportunity to experience the local lifestyle. But I'd much prefer staying at the Ritz Carleton, thank you. After all, I'm a tourist, not an anthropologist. I'm OK just observing, not experiencing, the local lifestyle.

The U.S. economic recovery will be in the shape of an L. We may have some short-lived up-ticks due to the sugar-high stimulus bill(s) but the hangover may last DECADES. Tax increases from cap-and-trade, healthcare reform, Social Security, Medicare and soak-the-rich deficit reduction will keep the economy on its back far longer than necessary. It's gonna look like a reprise of the '30's. Let's just hope they don't rely on a world war to end it this time around.

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree merits the cost. Mine did, but then I got my MBA from UCLA, arguably the best value in the nation. And if you fail to consider cost/benefit before enrolling, you're probably too dumb to get much out of ANY program.

Capitalism is the most effective economic system. For those who support giving the government a bigger role in running the economy, a reminder: it was the government's regulatory failures that are solely responsible for the mess we're in now.

Legalization of marijuana would have a negative effect on the economy. Millions are wasted each year combating this relatively harmless drug. But as Obama has clearly opined in his stimulus bill, even wasteful spending [like this] will serve to stimulate the economy.

There should be a global financial regulatory system. But it won't ever happen. Ya think the world's politicians are gonna turn over the purse-strings to a centralized body/system, eliminating their power to game things to their advantage? No way!

The federal government should allow General Motors (GM) to file for bankruptcy. WAY overdue! This turkey should've been ushered to BK court when they came hat-in-hand to Uncle Sam. It was blatantly obvious then that their business wouldn't recover without Chapter 11.

Mark-to-market accounting should not be suspended. Instead, steps to replace credit rating agencies' systems for scoring CDOs and other diversified assets should have been taken. That would've allowed markets to fairly value so-called toxic assets.

TARP funds should not be restricted from reaching foreign institutions. This must be from the off-spring of those wise politicians who gave us Smoot-Hawley during the Great Depression. It's no time for nationalistic responses. Study history...you might learn something.

The Obama Administration's handling of the auto bailout has been unsatisfactory. The delay for the Fiat decision on Chrysler is warranted. GM, however, should've been escorted straight to bankruptcy court. Yet more taxpayer dollars down the rat hole, prolonging the inevitable.

It was appropriate for the Obama Administration to force GM's CEO Rick Wagoner to resign. But if was MONTHS too late. This should've happened in November when Wagoner convinced Paulsen that the zombie known as GM had a pulse. Now yet MORE months and bucks before starting bankruptcy...

The U.S. dollar should be the world's reserve currency. Currently, only the USD has the financial backing to BE the reserve currency AND survive crises such as the current W/W recession. The runner-up, the Euro, is currently in dire straits.

The MTA fare hikes are justified. When labor unions extort higher wages than the labor market would dictate, the employer has to pass the costs on. Unfortunately, with public service agencies, the consumer has no other choice.

Congress should not grant the Treasury Department authority to take over non-bank financial institutions that pose a systemic risk. Congress should take steps to prevent systemic risks FROM THE START, which they clearly failed to do. This authority invites abuse of power. P.S. AIG STILL would've needed retention bonuses.

The proposed 90% tax on AIG bonuses is not constitutional. 535 lawyers in Congress and none have read the Constitution...deplorable! C'mon, you wienies, stop pan-handling to the whiny, ignorant masses and show some guts.

Congress should not tax AIG bonuses. If this passes, members of Congress should pay for the legal defense costs if their bill is subsequently found unconstitutional...as it most assuredly will be. What insanity!

AIG should not be forced to reveal the names of executives that received bonuses. The indignation against AIG and the bonus recipients has been generated by hapless govt. bureaucrats who did a piss-poor job of bailout oversight and now want to shift the blame onto someone else. And Obama's SUPPORTING this nonsense! VERY disappointing...

The New Deal prolonged the Great Depression. The New Deal serves as a terrific preview of coming attractions...and it ain't pretty: lots of well-intentioned government spending that only prolongs the malaise. Settle in for a long, bumpy ride.